Scientists Are Using Light To Fight Cancer In Mice

When it comes to medical research, technology is looking at new ways to help track down and fight every ailment under the sun. The latest research to come to light is in the fight against cancer, a fight that everyone is desperate to try help progress. The research is in using not radiation but light itself to help reduce and eliminate cancer cells.

The research comes from UT San Antonio and uses light to attack the hard to reach cancers, those which are inoperable under normal circumstances. The technique starts with an injection of the chemical compound nitrobenzaldehyde which is left to diffuse through the tumor. Once its spread through the tumor is hit with a beam of ultraviolet light, causing the tumor to “become very acidic inside and, essentially, commit suicide”.

The estimated level of success in initial testing was that up to 95% of the cancer cells died within the short space of two hours. This could be a breakthrough for cancer treatment as the cells are specifically targeted rather than affecting the whole body like in traditional chemotherapy treatments.

The treatment is far from human trials but initial signs are all positive given it could be used on areas that are completely out of reach such as the brain stem or spine. With so many advances being made in medical science, it is hard to not be optimistic about the future.